Baseball
by Okkusenman
Summary: Topsy Turvy never had it easy. Screwball x Screwloose friendship.


Topsy Turvy never had it easy.

When she was younger ponies teased her for her abnormal eyes. Her irises were pink, and on top of that they were _swirled_. No pony in Ponyville had ever heard of pony with swirly eyes before, but they didn't seem to effect her vision so no one cared. That was until Topsy began fohlengarten.

"Your eyes are weird!" the other foals would laugh. They'd mock and belittle her. No pony wanted to be friends with her. Her family would comfort her but eventually Topsy Turvy gave in.

"Maybe my eyes are weird" she began to think.

As the months went on Topsy aged. Her peers aged along with her, and with this came newfound maturity. Some still teased her though.

Topsy Turvy was one of the last foals in her grade to get her Cutie Mark. It didn't matter though, since she was very proud of it when she finally got it.

For years Topsy Turvy had loved baseball; it was a passion of hers. She loved the smell out of the outfield, the feel of the equipment, the thrill of watching a game, the joy she felt when her team won.. Everything about baseball amazed her.

She knew from an early age that's what she wanted to be when she grew up. She wanted to be a baseball player.

Topsy constantly begged her parents to let her join a team. They'd never let her though. "Topsy kins," her mom would sigh all too often, "We can't. It's too dangerous".

Topsy wasn't one to give in easily though. Even as Topsy entered middle school she never gave up.

With her an allowance and a few odd jobs Topsy brought herself a glove, baseball, and bat. Every day from then on she'd go out into the park to practice on her own.

She knew it was a lost cause though. Topsy knew the rules of baseball all too well - she had read several books on baseball in preparation for when she finally brought the items – so she knew you needed two to play. Still, she practiced. It was better than dong nothing after all.

"_I have no friends_," she thought to herself one afternoon herself as she swung her bat, "_so how am I going to throw the ball?_"

Suddenly she heard a shuffle behind her. She stiffened up instantly. "_I'm usually alone_.."

She heard a mumble that she couldn't quite understand. It was a soft, feminine voice. It didn't sound intimidating, in fact it sounded scared.

Topsy Turvy turned around, bat still in mouth, and her beliefs were confirmed. There before her stood a slightly taller, slightly older filly with bright magenta eyes and a long grey mane. Her eyes constantly flickered between staring at the ground and gazing up at Topsy and her breath seemed labored.

Sensing the other pony would not say anything, Topsy made the first move.

Putting down her baseball bat she said "Hello."

There was a pause before the foal answered. In a voice barely louder then a whisper she mumbled a quick "Hi".

Topsy felt a familiar anxiety begin to boil inside her. "_What if she's afraid of me? Thinks I'm creepy?_"

"Well." began the blue filly, "I.. You play baseball, right?"

Topsy nodded before catching what she said. Stuttering slightly she explained.

"Well not really. I'm not on a team or anything, I just play for fun."

The magenta-eyed filly looked up at her. Topsy felt a sudden pang as their eyes met. There was something in her gaze that seemed off. Was it sorrow? Anxiety? Fear? Confusion?

"Ah," she replied, "I thought you.. I wanted.. Would you let me play with you?"

Topsy must have looked like a deer in headlights because the filly repeated it again, a little bit slower and a little bit louder. "Can. I. Play. Too?"

Topsy nodded. Rarely did foals play with her, and when they did it was almost always out of pity or malice.

A smile momentarily crossed the cerulean colored ponies face. Her eyes widened as a realization hit her.

"I'm so sorry!" she squealed so suddenly that Topsy dropped the ball she was going to give her.

"Wha-wha.."

"I didn't tell you my name" the pony said quieter this time.

Topsy Turvy mouthed an "Oh" before a smile crossed her face. "The name's Topsy Turvy" she said with a laugh.

"My name's Screwloose."

From then on end Screwloose and Topsy would always play baseball together. It was a little hard being they were both Earth ponies but they found a way.

Topsy stopped asking her parents to join a team. She didn't need to and she didn't want to. She had Screwloose to play with.

It didn't surprised both mares when one day not soon after Topsy Turvy's second birthday that she got her Cutie Mark. What did surprise them was the mark itself.

It was a baseball, undoubtedly related to Topsy's love of baseball. Next to the baseball was a screw, matching the one on Screwloose's flank.


End file.
